FineScale Modeler Tips

I just received an email from FineScale Modeler magazine Associate Director Aaron Skinner stating that my reader tip about blogging scale model projects will be added to the April 2012 issue of FSM. 

This news just made my day and I sure can't wait to get my hands on that issue!

Super Glue sure Sticks!

The schwimmwagen has several grills on the top side as well as behind the back seats. Tonight I worked on the the one behind the seats and after taking this photo I realized that I just glued my fingers to the toothpick that was holding the grill down! I barely managed to peel my fingers off of the toothpick and suspect that a few seconds more would have create a more serious issue. I also made a mental note to buy myself a product to remove super glue to avoid any embarrassing moments in the future... That was a close call! 

I ended up redoing the grill three times before I got it perfect.

Assembly...

Installed the seats to the chassis and added the steering wheel column. Hey its starting to look like a vehicle!

Filling the Gaps

Today I installed the top half to the bottom part of the Schwimmwagen. Unfortunately it was not a perfect fit and there was a noticeable gap that could be seen from above. A bit of white glue should due the trick! I'll paint it to match the rest of the vehicle tomorrow.

Signature

As usual I always put my name in my models with the year it was built, for the Schwimmwagen it will be hidden in the motor compartment which will not be accessible.

Seating Arrangements...

Completed the interior of the Schwimmwagen, had some issues with the seats since there was not much place to apply the super glue. Also added little details if you look at the gear shift and hand brake.

New Workplace

Having moved into a new home in December and with the holidays I had to put modelling aside for a small while. I finally got a little corner of my basement setup and can't wait to get back to my hobby.

Body and Suspension and Tires - Oh My!

Today I finally got to start putting parts together, always the fun portion of the project... Started with attaching the suspension to the lower half of the body. 

Once the super glue dried I continued with the tires. I unfortunately broke a pin which was to hold a back wheel because the super glue dried to fast for me to properly manipulate the part. I had to eyeball it and hold the part steady while the glue dried. I'm sure the Germans won't mind my almost perfect alignment.

Have a Seat

After the tires I completed touching up the chairs with the painted black leather using Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. Using toothpicks glued temporarily with hot glue sure makes painting easy.

Tires

Just finished repainting the five tires black after having to airbrush the Schwimmwagen since the rims had to change color.